Sean Larson here, and I’ll be handling the game previews for the 2015-16 season. He was stellar at times during a 6-1 stretch at season’s end to help the Flames secure a playoff berth. The long wait is over, but the marathon is just beginning. With Vancouver, he gets to play with them, and Sutter is as surprised as anyone by that. He arrived in Calgary at about 1 a.m. this morning.
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Last season with the Penguins, Sutter played in 80 games, scoring 21 goals with 12 assists, tying a career-high for goals in a season.
“We’ll see”, Sutter, 26, smiled.
It’s a dramatic shift from a year ago when Canucks coach Willie Desjardins was reluctant to keep Bo Horvat, who turned 20 last April.
Then you have a bunch of people in the middle wondering what all the yelling is all about. Sounds like the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. That said, Kulak has 100% earned his opportunity to be in the opening day lineup and has been one of the best stories of Calgary’s preseason. “Getting those games in the playoffs were huge for my development”.
Los Angeles-based indie pop group Fitz & The Tantrums will be performing at Fort Calgary on Wednesday during a free viewing party for the Calgary Flames’ home opener.
The next game for the Flames is in Vancouver on Saturday, October 10th. Dennis Wideman batted the puck past a sleeping Ramo, and Alexandre Burrows got credit as the Canucks went up 4-1. He’ll be backed up by Hiller tonight while Ortio will not dress. “As good as the rest of the team”.
With McCann and Virtanen, he’ll now have two 19-year-olds under his watch.
There’s a lot of excitement right now among Vancouver Canucks fans, and it’s being fueled primarily by the rapid emergence of a few of the team’s top young prospects.
McCann’s stat line reads exactly the same as Virtanen’s in six preseason games and he’ll get a shot to centre the third line for the Canucks on opening night. Marie Greyhounds. Both the Hitmen and the Greyhounds are professionally run franchises that have powerful rosters capable of championing their respective leagues and playing in the Memorial Cup. Hutton’s strong camp seems to have precipitated Vancouver’s decision to place Frank Corrado on waivers; he was claimed by Toronto on Tuesday morning.
PUNCHING UP: What to get the team that was tied for fifth overall in fighting majors last season?
Of course, the Flames exceeded everyone’s expectations, lasting through to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. They built an early two-goal lead and were seldom under sustained pressure because they moved the puck quickly and safely from their own zone, defusing the Calgary forecheck. That’s an issue that doesn’t just go away, especially when two of your best players are on the wrong side of 30 and closer to 40 than they are to their prime.
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The Canucks recalled goalie Richard Bachman on Wednesday, and he will serve as the backup to Ryan Miller. With Eddie Lack now in Carolina, there’s not much question about who the number one is for the Canucks.
